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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. spell — magic
  4. content — happy
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kid — to tease
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. kid — child
  22. sharp — clever
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com